Injury to Gareth Bale means that Zinedine Zidane will be forced to tinker with his Real Madrid side against Bayern Munich.BBC are without one B and it is expected that, following his impressive two goal haul last time out, Isco will be the man to fill in for him.There are many options available to Zidane but it would appear that the former Malaga man is currently the frontrunner to replace the Welshman.
Without Bale, Real will be much more balanced by including Isco in the side, a player who is capable of filling in at any position Zidane asks of him.The question remains, how will Zidane slot the playmaker in order to make best use of his talents and those of the team as a whole.Of course, he could be used as a direct replacement for Bale but he isn't the same type of player.The most natural position for Isco to take up would perhaps be at the tip of the midfield diamond in a 4-4-2 system for Real.4-4-2 DiamondThis is the most natural solution to the problem for Zidane and is also one which would best suit the qualities of Isco.He would play behind an attacking duo of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, just in front of the deeper lying Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.There would be more freedom on the ball for the Spain international and more time to unlock the German defence with his bag of tricks.Standard 4-4-2Another option available to Zidane would be to use Isco in a flat midfield quartet and would give more balance to the side, while also eliminating Bayern's attacking threat.Isco would be an active part of Los Blancos' defensive work without the ball, which will be vital, particularly with threats like Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery out wide.He could be called upon to plug a gap on the left flank and limit Bayern down the right hand side, a position that would be nothing new for the player who actually played there during Carlo Ancelotti's time in charge at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.4-3-3Zidane may decide not to change system whatsoever and simply deploy Isco as a direct replacement for the injured Bale.Attacking, Isco would take up his role on the right of the front three, dropping into a more defensive wider position in a 4-4-2 when Real are without the ball.
